In-House Outside the Box: Heather Stevenson on leaving BigLaw, Career Pivots and in-house practice in VC land
Update: 2025-11-12
Description
In this episode, Mel connects with Boston-based lawyer and creator Heather Stevenson for a candid conversation about career reinvention, online visibility, and modern in-house leadership. Heather shares her journey from Big Law litigator at Sullivan & Cromwell to juice-bar founder to General Counsel at Red Cell Partners, a venture firm building companies in healthcare, cybersecurity and national security.
Together, they talk about taking unconventional career paths, how social media has reshaped opportunity and why being “too nice to be a lawyer” is a myth worth retiring.
Key themes:
✨ Moving from Big Law to entrepreneurship to in-house
✨ Learning business by building one
✨ The role of LinkedIn in modern career growth
✨ The future of in-house law and innovation
✨ Purpose, identity, and redefining professional success
Outsourcing, boundaries and building systems that work for your life
Favourite moments:
Heather explaining how she pitched her way into the Boston Globe after running a juice bar
Why she believes “done” is better than “perfect” on LinkedIn and in leadership
Her philosophy on using LinkedIn as scalable mentoring
The rise of GC-plus roles like GC-COO and GC-Chief Strategy Officer
Why “too nice to be a lawyer” is not a weakness
Connect with Heather:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherlstevenson/
Subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.newsletter.inhouseoutsidethebox.com/subscribe
Download the New to In-House Survival Guide: https://www.counselpodcast.com/store/p/newtoinhouse (use code BigSisEnergy for a special discount)
All of Mel's Big Sis Briefings can be found here: https://www.counselpodcast.com/big-sis-briefings
Connect with Mel:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theinhouselawyer/
Counsel Podcast Page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67479008/admin/feed/posts/
Instagram & TikTok: @theinhouselawyer
Subscribe to the Counsel Podcast so you don’t miss upcoming conversations with leaders who are redefining what it means to be a lawyer today!
Together, they talk about taking unconventional career paths, how social media has reshaped opportunity and why being “too nice to be a lawyer” is a myth worth retiring.
Key themes:
✨ Moving from Big Law to entrepreneurship to in-house
✨ Learning business by building one
✨ The role of LinkedIn in modern career growth
✨ The future of in-house law and innovation
✨ Purpose, identity, and redefining professional success
Outsourcing, boundaries and building systems that work for your life
Favourite moments:
Heather explaining how she pitched her way into the Boston Globe after running a juice bar
Why she believes “done” is better than “perfect” on LinkedIn and in leadership
Her philosophy on using LinkedIn as scalable mentoring
The rise of GC-plus roles like GC-COO and GC-Chief Strategy Officer
Why “too nice to be a lawyer” is not a weakness
Connect with Heather:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherlstevenson/
Subscribe to her newsletter: https://www.newsletter.inhouseoutsidethebox.com/subscribe
Download the New to In-House Survival Guide: https://www.counselpodcast.com/store/p/newtoinhouse (use code BigSisEnergy for a special discount)
All of Mel's Big Sis Briefings can be found here: https://www.counselpodcast.com/big-sis-briefings
Connect with Mel:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theinhouselawyer/
Counsel Podcast Page on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/67479008/admin/feed/posts/
Instagram & TikTok: @theinhouselawyer
Subscribe to the Counsel Podcast so you don’t miss upcoming conversations with leaders who are redefining what it means to be a lawyer today!
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